Protect The National Industry, Customs And Excise Gencar Implements Illegal Cigarettes Fighting Operations

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Directorate General of Customs and Excise at the Ministry of Finance is said to be aggressively carrying out Operations on Illegal Cigarettes in an effort to protect the domestic industry. Director of Customs and Excise Communications Nirwala Dwi Heryanto said that currently high demand for cigarettes is not comparable to the economic ability of the community, causing the circulation of illegal cigarettes. "Operation of Illegal Cigarettes is a form of commitment from Customs as a community protector and revenue collector to suppress the circulation of illegal cigarettes while securing state revenues," he said in a press statement on Friday, September 9. According to Nirwala, his party runs two approach methods, namely soft approach and hard approach. In detail, he explained that the soft approach was an approach taken with preventive efforts in the form of coaching, socialization, and evaluation. Meanwhile, hard approach is carried out with repressive efforts in the form of enforcement based on apprevention and applicable regulations. "Operation Illegal Cigarettes will be carried out from September 12, 2022 to November 12, 2022," he said.

Nirwala added that illegal cigarettes are cigarettes circulating in Indonesian territory, both from domestic and imported products that do not follow the regulations in the territory of Indonesian law. Meanwhile, the characteristics of illegal cigarettes include not being attached to plain excise stamps (cigarettes), attached to fake excise stamps, attached to used excise stamps, and/or attached to excise stamps that are not in accordance with their designation. "Sales of illegal cigarettes can have a negative impact on the development of the national cigarette industry because there is injustice and imbalance in business competition in the market. Illegal Cigarettes Operation is needed as a form of supervision to create a healthy business climate in the market," he said.

Nirwala emphasized that law enforcement against perpetrators of illegal cigarette sales is by providing administrative and criminal sanctions regulated in Law No. 39 of 2007 amendments to Law No. 11 of 1995 concerning Excise. Criminal offenses related to the circulation of illegal cigarettes can face a minimum imprisonment of one year and a maximum of five years and/or a fine of at least two excise values and a maximum of ten times the excise value that should be paid. The public can act as an agent of change in suppressing the circulation of illegal cigarettes by reporting to Customs if there are indications of illegal cigarette circulation," he said. On the same occasion, the Chairman of the Association of the Malang Cigarette Company (Gaperoma) Johny expressed his support for Customs and Excise in carrying out Operations on Illegal Cigarettes. We express our highest gratitude and appreciation to Customs for its heroic actions in eradicating the circulation of illegal cigarettes. The seriousness of the apparatus in eradicating illegal cigarettes does not only affect entrepreneurs but also all parties involved include tobacco farmers and legal business actors," he explained. Johny also stated that business actors are committed to always maintaining compliance with laws and regulations. "We are ready to help provide public education regarding the circulation of illegal cigarettes as a form of support to Customs and other law enforcement officers to eradicate illegal cigarettes," he added. For information, according to the Tobacco Control Support Center (TCSC) in 2020, Indonesia's total cigarette consumers reached 33.8 percent of all Indonesians in 2018.